Ever
happen to you? The road lay open to a new and better life. You were
poised on the brink of a priceless breakthrough. The world was going to
change forever…. And then a friend tweeted you about her new hairdo,
your baby spit up on your shoulder, and your oldest ran in with a bloody
nose.

For
most of us, the problem isn’t inspiration. We all have “Wow!” moments.
The beauty of a sunset, a stranger's generosity, or even our own
frailty, catches us off guard, and for a split second opens up a window
that changes the way we see life. A minute later we bang up against the
glass. Time and time again, we fail to carry the “Wow!” over into real
life.

Just
add in the details from your own life. You’re down in the dumps. Your
best friend was counting on you to come through for him. He trusted you.
And you let him down. Bigtime. It’s great that you feel guilty (see my post).
It’s wonderful that you finally figured out that you’re a jerk. Even
better, you want to change! But it’s not enough. One day’s share of
business-as-usual is enough to turn the most earth-shattering of events
into a little footnote in the book of your life.

Want
to start a new chapter? Turn that experience into a decision. A simple
process converts those intangible moments into solid building blocks for
your future:

Experience → Conviction → Decision

↙ ↓ ↘

Concrete Actions

1: Turn the experience into a conviction:
“A good friend never lets anybody down. Never. I count on my friends to
be there for me.” Spend a day thinking about what happened, turning it
over in your mind, reliving that experience, until it gels into a solid
conviction.

2: Turn that conviction into a decision: “I will be that friend. You can count on me”. Get geared up. Imagine yourself living it. Want it.

3: Cement that decision with concrete actions: Be there. Help out. Take a hit for your friend.

All of our experiences eventually fade away. But if we act on them, we break through into the solid reality of a better life.

This Catholic Formation Service is also
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